The Beginning of the End of Obamacare?

Many Americans thought at the time of it’s passage, that it’s true complexity would actually be the end of Obamacare. Probably the biggest hint was when the Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi emphatically told America “But we have to pass the bill so you can find out what is in it, away from the fog of the controversy.”

I remember back at the baseball games as a child that getting on first base was always top priority. A lot of guys would get to first (passage of Obamacare), then get thrown out later on 2nd or 3rd base. Well Obamacare cleared 2nd base when it was upheld by the US Supreme Court in 2012. It’s a long way however from 2nd to home and a recent poll shows a clear majority of Americans worried about Obamacare. Yesterday the Obama Administration announced the delay of implementing the employer mandate until 2015. However, you and I are still required to purchase government approved healthcare by January 2014. Watch the video and see the video transcription below.

Tucker: This is a Fox News alert. The white house house announced it will delay a key part of Obamacare. Earlier today the administration said it would push back the employer mandate until 2015, which in case you are keeping track is after the midterm election. Remember this is the part of the law that requires businesses who have fifty or more employees to provide health insurance for their workers or face a fine.

The Treasury Department released a statement explaining the decision. Is reads in part this way.

“We have heard concerns about the complexity of the requirements and the need for more time to implement them effectively. We recognize that the vast majority of businesses that will be need to do this reporting already provide health insurance their workers, and we want to make sure it’s easy for others to do. So we have listened to your feedback and we are taking action. The administration is announcing that it will provide an additional year before the Affordable Care Act mandatory employer and insurer reporting requirements begin.” Mark J Mazur

But as for the individual mandate, the one that applies to you that remains in place now. Joining me now to explain what all of this means are from the American Center for Law and Justice Jordan Secular and Fox News contributor Joe Trippi.

Jordan this is an admission of defeat. When you have the administration saying basically our law the signature piece of legislation of the entire administration is so complex we don’t even understand it.

Jordan: That’s right and we’ll bail out the corporations but will punish the individuals. The mandate still goes for you. Even though the whole idea here was that the employer mandate, that was the whole pay our fair share. Right,that was the shared cost of Obamacare that the employers would have some incentive to keep people on the insurance. Which is still the majority of the American people. uh… who this health insurance are on employer-provided care. Now that incentive is gone for a year but your individual mandate and the penalty that comes with it for you and your family that kicks in.

Tucker: I love this. Joe, so corporations get a pass but you don’t. This can’t stand can it?

Joe: No they don’t get a pass. The Rand study showed that the employer mandate wasn’t really going to have much effect when it is in position. Because companies that employ over fifty people the United States already provide health care. A large proportion already do it. So it was really is about the the reporting in the red tape that that was built into the system uh… to record it make sure they were doing it because the problem.

Tucker: This law past the years ago. It seems to me that they have been mindful of the political calendar from day one. The key parts of this all did not take effect until the reelect. Now this is on hold until after the midterm.Is that an accident? I don’t believe it.

Joe: I think what’s really good about it gives the Republicans one more reason to go, one more time to try to repeal Obama care. Let’s do it thirty ninth. What is it thirty eight times they’ve done it?

Tucker: But that’s the whole point. You can’t repeal a law until people feel the effects of it.

Jordan: Wait. They’re showing a slow walk.

Joe: No it’s not. It’s going in. The exchanges are going in as planned. The single pay… individual mandate is passing.

Jordan: How outrageous is it that the individuals have to pay the mandate but the employers don’t? Isn’t that against everything you stand for?

Joe: No. Jordan I think you raised an important point. The whole reason the employer mandate was there was so that those companies that do provide health care couldn’t just dump their employees off of it. Now they put it and for a year. I’m very interested in how the administration can answer that that question. uh… Because I do think you raise an important point.That was indeed the only problem with it.

Tucker: Let me ask this question which is. you can’t look either of you look me straight in the eye and say that political considerations played no role in the implementation of the less popular part of this incredibly complex law. So the administration comes out and says you can have health insurance now everything’s free. But the bad side, the bitter core of this law was delayed until after you got to vote for Obama again. That’s like not an accident. Correct Joe?

Jordan: Then we will see mass layoffs until after the midterm. This is the whole idea here , that it was a political move. There’s someone in the administration off record reporting that to reporters that had political considerations. The idea again we’re playing politics with people’s health. But here we come the IRS and the individual mandate for me and no Treasury Department oversight of my employer.

Tucker: So again again the Rand study said “(it’s independent, had nothing to do with right left or anything else) says that the employer mandate wasn’t going to have the any real effect on corporate behavior.

Tucker: If it didn’t matter why did they just suspend it?

Joe: The reason, Jordan you hit on it. The reason , the only reason it was really the air is to prevent companies that do provide it from dumping their employees off. Your now saying they are going to do that. I’m not sure that’s going to happen.

Jordan: So what I’m getting at is this Joe. If that is the way… they will kind of like this because they will have to have a single-payer system which is what Obama really wanted and he even said if we didn’t rely so much in 2008 on employer-provided care of course we’d want to go with a single-payer system. But we can’t do that because the employers and now we’re going to show people guess why can’t trust your employer. We will waive them for a year. Now you have to pay penalties. How about just we do a single payer system.

Joe: That’s not a bad idea. That’s not a bad idea at all.

Tucker: Very quickly Answer this question very quickly. There have been in number of employers who’ve been granted waivers to Obama care. Now we can find out how many because HHS has stop was in that information outrageously. Do you think any individuals have been granted waivers? I know businesses have. Big businesses have been granted waivers but has any individual gotten that?

Joe: I doubt it. Well first of all I don’t think thats uh… I don’t know what, I don’t think so. I’d love to work on time right

Tucker: Of course not. So this administration is supposed to be standing up for the little guy instead of doing the bidding of business. The answer is no. I’d bet my car on it. I don’t actually have the data but I bet you anything. Gentlemen thank very much.

Joe: I don’t know if anybody has asked for a waiver.

Tucker: Well I’d sure like one. I’m officially asking for one right now. Please give me a waiver. Thank you both.

Bill Simms is the President and CEO of Quote Guy Marketing Inc. After a 21 year federal career, Bill began marketing health and dental benefits online. Today his company owns a network of websites that provide benefits online in the USA.